Storyland 2014

Four-part webisodes commissioned for RTÉ Player

RTÉ Drama and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board today launched the new season of Storyland, an innovative commissioning project that will see five series of four-part webisodes commissioned for RTÉ Player.

Aspiring and experienced drama production teams are invited to pitch their ideas to make one of five series. An information Open Day will be held in RTÉ for TV, film and digital content professionals on Wednesday, June 4th, and the closing date for submissions is Thursday, July 31st. Places for the Open Day must be reserved in advance by emailing storyland2014@rte.ie.

Now in its fifth season, Storyland has proven to be a hugely successful commissioning platform to bring fresh creative ideas to RTÉ and identify emerging creative talent for the TV and film industry in Ireland. For writers, actors, directors and producers, Storyland has been an invaluable springboard. Past participants include, among many others, Thomas Martin (Danger High Voltage, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, RAW); Kevin McGahern (Republic of Telly, Hardy Bucks); Marie Caffrey and Nikki Racklin of Zanzibar Films (Cuckoo); Paul Duane, Rob Cawley and Gary Duggan (Happy Slapper), who went on to make Amber for RTÉ One; actress Charlie Murphy (Love/Hate); and Hardy Bucks, who went on to have an RTÉ Two TV series and a feature film following their Storyland success.

Launching the new season of Storyland, Jane Gogan, Head of RTÉ Drama said, “Storyland has a great part to play in the development of the TV and film industry in Ireland. At its core, Storyland is about commissioning new drama content, unconstrained by its environment on the digital platform of RTÉ Player, and paving the way for today’s short form drama creators to become tomorrow’s creators of TV drama and film. Storyland is about creativity, innovation and the opportunity for great story telling for a discerning online audience. I welcome the Irish Film Board as they join this venture and the potential it opens up for talent that emerges through Storyland.”

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, Chief Executive James Hickey said, “Our central aim is to develop and invest in a new generation of creative talent. Storyland has a strong track record of success and we are looking for exciting new ideas. Projects such as Hardy Bucks, which is currently being developed into a sequel feature film and originated from Storyland, have the potential to cross over into film and become a box office success with the support of the Irish Film Board. We are looking forward to working with RTÉ to discover new writers and directors.”

Five series will be commissioned each consisting of four six-minute episodes. In a change to previous years where audiences voted for the series they wished to be commissioned for another episode, the five series will be commissioned in their entirety from the outset.

To reserve a place at the Storyland Open Day information event, interested parties are asked to email storyland2014@rte.ie.